Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on perinatal mental health in Spain: Positive and negative outcomes.
Covadonga Chaves, Carlos Marchena, Beatriz Palacios and 2 others
PMID 33461897WHAT IT FOUND
In Spanish pregnant and postpartum women, 58.7% met screening cut-offs for depression and 51.2% for anxiety.
Better perceived maternal health, baby sleep, feeding quality, and breastfeeding were linked to lower distress.
Key findings
01More than half of the women met screening cut-offs for depression (58.7%) and anxiety (51.2%).
02Formula feeding was associated with higher depressive symptoms and negative emotions than breastfeeding.
03Better perceived maternal health, baby health, feeding quality, and baby sleep were associated with lower depression and negative emotions and higher positive emotions and life satisfaction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The survey was cross-sectional, so it measured symptoms at one point and cannot show that the pandemic caused distress or that any factor changed over time. It used snowball sampling through social media, so it probably missed women with low income or no internet access and may not represent all pregnant or postpartum women. The EPDS was used as a screening tool, not a diagnostic interview, and cut-off scores may be less reliable across languages, cultures, and the first week postpartum. The sample was mostly university-educated and married or living with a partner, with 76.4% having university studies and 91.4% married or living with a partner, so findings may not apply to more disadvantaged groups. Only acute responses during the early pandemic were examined, so longer-term effects on mothers, babies, and families are unknown.
Declared interests
No funding was declared, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 58.7% and 51.2% rates as diagnosed depression or anxiety. They are screening cut-offs, and the cross-sectional survey cannot show that the pandemic caused distress or that breastfeeding reduced it.